"She never settled for anything," Landau said. "She waited longer in life to get married, she waited longer to have a child. She was successful and positive. She enjoyed life, every single minute of it."

But last week, Cunningham was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

She died July 12 in a workplace shooting in Albuquerque, N.M., when a former employee opened fire at the solar manufacturing plant where Cunningham worked, killing her and another woman before turning the weapon on himself. Four other people, including the gunman's former girlfriend, were wounded. She was 47.

Cunningham never had a chance, her cousin said. She was carrying supplies from one building to another at the Emcore Fiber Optics Corp. facility when 37-year-old Robert Reza shot her twice without provocation.

Reza wounded his ex-girlfriend and killed another female co-worker, then entered the building and shot two other employees before killing himself.

Cunningham, then known as Sharon Godfrey, moved to New Mexico 10 years ago after meeting the man who would eventually become her husband.

Originally from Long Island, Cunningham graduated from Pace University and lived in Danbury while working as an information technology engineer in the corporate offices of Kraft Foods and Avon in Westchester County, N.Y.

"She was a very inquisitive person, highly intelligent but very humble," said former co-worker Frank Dally, of Bethel. "She was also a very caring person with a great sense of humor."

One of five siblings, Cunningham was an avid runner and a motorcycle enthusiast, a hobby she picked up from her eldest brother, Joseph Godfrey, who lives in Plymouth, Conn.

"She was a very good rider, right up there with the guys, and she fit in with my crowd of old geezers," Godfrey said. "Every single person she made contact with, she made friends with."

"He was one of the guides, and he spotted her in the crowd," Godfrey said. "Afterward, he started showing up at the hotel, which made me wonder, but he was sincere and stayed in touch, and when we went (to the rally) the next year, he stuck to her like Scotch tape."

After she left the area, Cunningham remained close to her family.

"Whenever she made a trip back east, she made a point to see every one of her family," Landau said. "If it meant driving three hours to spend an hour with you, she would do that."

Cunningham just took up organic gardening so she could prepare healthy meals for her 6-year-old daughter, Caitlin, Landau said.

Police initially believed the shooting spree was sparked by domestic violence, but in recent days, information has surfaced indicating that Reza was mentally disturbed, Landau said.

Police Chief Ray Schultz told the Albuquerque Journal that investigators found a rambling, 40-page manifesto that appeared to be the product of someone who was "in crisis and mentally ill."

Police also interviewed Reza's nephew, who told them that Reza talked about Emcore planting chips in his head, according to television station KOAT in Albuquerque.

Dally hadn't seen Cunningham in several years, but always made a point to inquire about her with her godfather, who is a neighbor. That's how he learned she had been killed.

"I couldn't quite grasp it; it took a while to realize she was really gone," Dally said. "For it to happen to someone like her, it's not fair. It's just not something you can put into words."

Godfrey said nearly 800 people attended the memorial service for his sister in Albuquerque, including former Emcore employees who left the company years earlier, and all of Caitlin's teachers.

"The life that Sharon led, there is something to be said for that," Landau said.